I used to think being direct was rude until a coworker told me otherwise

I always danced around bad news at work, thinking I was being polite. Last month my coworker Sarah pulled me aside after a meeting and said 'just tell me straight next time, I wasted two days because you sugarcoated the timeline.' That hit me. Now I say what I mean upfront and it's actually made things easier with everyone.

2 comments

2 Comments

parkerk565d ago

That Sarah sounds like a good coworker for telling you that. Most people just let you keep being too nice and never say anything. It's wild how being direct can actually save everyone time and frustration. People appreciate knowing where they stand even if the news isn't great. Have you noticed any relationships getting better since you changed your approach?

miabennett4d ago

honestly i gotta push back on this a little @parkerk56 lol. like yeah being direct can help sometimes but i feel like people act like it's this magic fix for everything. not everyone appreciates "knowing where they stand" if the news is bad either lol. i've def had coworkers who told me "just be honest" and then got super offended when i actually was. it's like they wanted a certain kind of honesty not all of it lol. plus some people really do thrive on that extra nice vibe and it's not hurting anyone. i think we just need to read the room better instead of pretending one style works for everyone.